MSW 2018: Day 5-Jealousy
by mayuralover
Summary: Manon is excited to see the Pokemon performers during the Summer Festival and agrees to go with a friend. Alan won't let her go alone, though, and by the end of the day, it would seem as if they both have to confront their own feelings towards each other.


**Marissonshipping Week 2018-Day 5: Jealousy**

 _This story takes place in my "What's on the Horizon" AU, written before the Pokémon XY &Z anime was aired, and is canon divergent. More details can be found in the Prologue of "What's on the Horizon," but all you need to know is that the AU takes place six years after the events of Pokémon XY&Z, but Manon and Alan have gone on separate journeys (not by her choice, though). They have since been reunited and Alan has learned that while on her journey to the Pokémon League, Manon spent two years traveling with a trainer named Ricky (OC), who she met in Anistar City. Please also bear with my use of names, I use 'Manon' and 'Alan' from the Japanese dub of the anime, and 'Professor Sycamore' from the video game, though when Manon and Alan address him, they will refer to him as 'Hakase,' which translates to 'Professor.'_

* * *

Manon greeted Alan and the professor as she came down the stairs into the kitchen and dining room. It felt good to get up early, and that meant that Manon had all day to enjoy the Lumiose Summer Festival. While Alan and the professor were watching the news on the television, Manon poured herself some cereal and flipped through a magazine that happened to be on the table. The feature article was on the current Kalos Queen, Diana, who performed with her Bellossom. She was reminded of her time with Serena several years ago, when Manon took some time off training her Pokémon to learn more about Pokémon performing, something that had always interested her when she witnessed Serena, Shauna, and Jessilee (or rather, Jessie) performing for the citizens of Lumiose after the Zygarde incident six years prior.

" _Today's festival spotlight is on the Pokémon Showcase that will happen today in Magenta Plaza! Pokémon performers of all ages are welcome to come and showcase their skills as well as learn about being a performer in this fun and casual setting! Current Kalos Queen, Diana, will also be there to sign autographs and give her own performance. We hope to see many aspiring performers in Magenta Plaza!"_

"That sounds like a fun event; I don't remember the last time I went to a Pokémon Showcase," Professor Sycamore said. "Unfortunately, there's still a lot of work to do around here." The professor turned to Manon, who, in her excitement, tried to finish her breakfast as soon as possible. "I suppose you're going to be heading to Magenta Plaza, Manon-kun?"

Manon wiped her mouth on a napkin and set her dirty bowl in the sink. "This sounds like it would be fun to watch, and it reminds me of Serena. It's too bad that she's away in the Sinnoh region-I bet she would love to be here right now."

"Will you be joining her to watch the performers, Alan?" Prof. Sycamore asked.

"Who-me? I don't think I will. You said that you had a lot of work, and I can help around here," Alan replied.

"Oh, but it would be so fun if you came along, Alan! Pretty please?" Manon pouted and gave him her best Furfrou eyes.

"Uh…" It had been years since he had witnessed that expression on her face, and Alan was having trouble denying Manon her wish. It wasn't as if he was so opposed to seeing the performers, however going to the festival alone with Manon gave Alan a weird fluttering in his stomach. Perhaps his breakfast wasn't sitting well.

 _Ding dong!_

They all looked up at the sound, and the professor got up from his chair. "A visitor this morning? I wonder who that could be?"

"Are you expecting anyone, Hakase?" Alan asked, trying to divert their attention to the visitor. Manon tugged on his sleeve, catching on to this and irked that he was trying to change the subject.

"Alan, you didn't answer me! Please come and enjoy the festival with me! We don't even have to see the performers, if that's not your kind of thing. You work all the time, and you should relax a bit!" Manon said. She took a breath to continue trying to convince Alan, but was interrupted by someone else.

"Manon-kun, our visitor came for you! I believe you know this young man?" Prof. Sycamore asked. The professor came into the dining room leading a blonde boy.

"Ah, Ricky, good morning!" Manon greeted. "Oh, Hakase, this is Ricky, a friend of mine from my journey. And I've introduced Alan and Ricky to each other already." The other two greeted each other with a polite hello and a nod, and Alan turned his attention to the forgotten magazine Manon had been flipping through.

"Nice to meet you, Ricky. Now if you all would excuse me, it's time to do my rounds," Professor Sycamore said.

"So, what's up, Ricky?" Manon asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you had any plans for today?" Ricky asked. "Are you busy?"

"Ah, I was going to check out the performers over in Magenta Plaza," Manon said. She made a disappointed face at Alan, who gave her a blank expression, and said, "I was trying to convince Alan to come with me, but it seems as if he'd rather do more research."

Ricky's expression brightened (and Alan's darkened), and he seemed to jump at this opportunity. "Then how about I accompany you? It's been awhile since I've seen you, and we can catch up."

"Awhile? It's been like a month, Ricky!" Manon laughed. "After the League Championships, you went back to visit your family."

Ricky put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards the door. "Well, what can I say, a month is too long to go without seeing you, Manon, especially considering how long we travelled with each other! Let's head to Magenta Plaza, then!"

Meanwhile, Alan couldn't help but feel irritated at Ricky; Ricky hadn't done anything wrong, yet, and he seemed like a good person (Manon was a good judge of character). However, letting those two go about the city alone set something off inside Alan.

Manon looked back at Alan for a second before shrugging her shoulders. If Alan would rather work, then she wouldn't try to convince him to come anymore. "Well, see you later, Alan!"

Alan abruptly stood up from his seat, the chair scrapping the floor and catching both Ricky and Manon's attentions. "Wait, I change my mind. You're right, Manon. It's nothing I can't do some other day, and this showcase doesn't happen every day."

"Oh, so you're coming with us! It's going to be so much fun, right, Ricky?" Manon jumped excitedly, and Ricky had removed his arm from around her (which gave Alan a strange sense of satisfaction).

"Oh yeah. Swell," Ricky replied, throwing a glare in Alan's direction.

* * *

The walk there was pleasant and there were so many interesting things in the city to see. People from all over the region, and even other regions, had come to take part in the Summer Festival, and Manon decided that this was her favorite part about living in the Kalos region. However, her excitement didn't seem to spread to her two male companions. Each boy followed Manon on either side of her and threw passing looks at each other over her head.

Alan kept most of his attention to the girl in front of him. He took this time to really take in the fact that six years apart had changed Manon. Not in her personality-no, she was still the same cheery and bright girl he had left behind, but Manon had physically changed. She had lost the roundness that her baby fat had given her, and her longer limbs gave her an air of being more graceful and elegant-though she still tripped and was clumsy sometimes. Her style had changed little, still preferring greens and yellows above most else. The most significant change was the loss of her cap that covered her fiery hair, no longer tied back, but let loose and free.

From a few blocks away, the three could already hear the music and excitement coming from Magenta Plaza.

"Race you guys!" Manon cried and took off towards the showcase, weaving her way through the crowd.

"No fair, you've got a head start!" Ricky yelled and raced after her.

Alan sighed and kept at the easy pace he was walking; typical teenage behavior, and he was too old to be making a racket in the crowd. When he arrived at the plaza, Alan could see that there were many festive decorations hung about, particular to the showcase: posters of famous performers, booths selling merchandise, and a large stage and empty area were roped off to be used by performers. He had trouble spotting Manon because she was short, but he could see Ricky's blonde hair near a flower stand, and looking around, it seemed that many of the women and girls were wearing flowers in their hair to imitate the style of the Kalos Queen Diana, who in turn emulated the style of her partner Pokémon Bellossom. Hopefully Ricky had caught up to Manon, because he did not want to spend the whole day looking for her.

Approaching the boy, Alan heard him say, "Here, Manon, a lovely flower for a lovely girl."

Alan arrived just in time to see Ricky gently brush her hair behind an ear and place a yellow bloom there. Manon blushed and replied, "Why, thank you, Ricky."

Ricky smiled and was going to respond when Manon spotted him. "Alan!" she shouted. "It took you long enough!" Ricky turned around and visibly scowled. Alan had clearly ruined the moment, but he couldn't help but internally grin.

Alan walked up to the two of them and rubbed his neck with one hand, saying, "Just didn't want to tire myself out. And you look nice with that flower, Manon."

Manon grinned brightly. "Ricky got it for me, so we can all be like Diana! Well, us females! Anyways, the main event is the Pokémon Showcase, and I think 10-15 age group is up! Let's go check them out!"

"Speaking of age groups," Ricky said, "Are you going to participate, as well?" He motioned to a woman with a clipboard at a table. "Last call for ages 16 to 20. I think it would be a lot of fun to see you up there."

"What do you think, should I really give it a go?" Manon asked, looking between the two guys. Ricky grinned while Alan just shrugged and said, "Sure, why not try it out while we're here?"

Encouraged by her two friends, Manon decided to sign up. In the meantime, the three watched the other young performers. A young redhead was currently dancing with a Dewott, who was creating water spouts with the move Water Pledge. Beside her, a thin, blonde teenager with an Cyndaquil used Fire Pledge, and with the two synchronous moves, a rainbow appeared above the crowd. The third girl of that set had her Torterra, and with a Grass Pledge, swirls of mist and flames danced around the plaza. Everyone cheered at their performance, and all too soon, Manon was called to wait behind the stage with the others in her age group.

Like the previous age groups, a few performers came out at one time to accommodate every girl who wanted to participate. Performer after performer dazzled the crowd with their fancy footwork and their Pokémon showered everyone in a spray of mist, fire, and sparkles of all sorts.

A short girl with black hair performed with her Linoone that used a shocking Thunderbolt to clear away the rain clouds summoned by her sister's Mudkip using Rain Dance. Then, two girls who were strangers to each other both summoned their Roserade, and grinning to each other, started mirroring each other's moves. It was impromptu and fun, and the joy was nearly tangible in the air.

Finally, Alan saw Manon step onto the stage with one other girl, whose dark blue hair was tied in a ponytail. They each threw their Pokeballs to call out their Pokémon, and the music started. To his surprise, Manon chose to perform with her Florges, while the other girl had a Jolteon. With her Florges, Fla-chan, Manon did very well in battling, so it was going to be interesting to see the two of them perform. What Alan was not prepared for was the swift footwork Manon showed, nor the confidence she displayed while onstage. The pair dazzled the crowd with a Magical Leaf and shimmered her fellow performers with a Dazzling Gleam. Alan was mesmerized with her talent for performing and paid little attention to the other girl and her Pokémon. Manon spotted the two of them in the crowd and gave a wink and wave. Ricky waved back, but Alan blushed behind his hand.

"It's amazing what she can do, huh?" Ricky said.

"What?" Alan asked, glancing to the boy.

"I've told her that if she didn't want to go for League Champ, Pokémon Performer would be another great career for her; she's made to be onstage with Pokémon."

"So, you've seen her perform before?"

"I haven't, but don't tell her I told you this, because she gets embarrassed at the fact, but she actually has one Princess Key," Ricky whispered.

Alan was shocked at this new information. "She does?"

"She once told me that an old Pokémon Performer friend of hers gave her some tips, and they even traveled together for a little while before I met her. She decided to enter the Rookie class competition for the fun of it, and Manon won."

 _An old friend_ , thought Alan. _That must have been Serena._

After their allotted time and a rousing applause from the crowd, Manon and the other girl left the stage to let the next few girls perform. "How did I do?" Manon asked when she got back to her friends. She was out of breath, but the ruddiness of her face showed just how excited she was to have performed. "It was so fun to be up there; this is the kind of excitement Serena must feel whenever she performs!"

"You looked great up there," Ricky said. "I told you this before, and I'll say it again: you can make a career out of performing if you really wanted to."

"Why, thank you, Ricky," Manon said, grinning.

Ricky gave a cheeky smirk. "You would get my vote for cutest performer-by far!"

Manon blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I think I'll stick to battling for now."

Alan pulled a slight frown at her reaction, and replied, "You did great up there, though I do agree with you that battling is probably your calling. Anyway, it's getting too crowded here. I'm going to take a look around the plaza."

"Oh, did you want us to come with you?" Manon asked.

Ricky slung his arm around her shoulders, pulling her attention back towards him. "There's still a few more performers, Manon. Let's stay and watch. We can catch up with Alan later."

Manon looked indecisively between the two, not minding how close Ricky was. However, Alan glared at the offending arm and waved Manon away. "No, you two enjoy the performers. I'll see you two in a bit," Alan said gruffly.

"Oh, okay," Manon said. She seemed a bit disappointed at Alan's refusal, but Ricky turned their attentions back towards the stage.

* * *

Alan stood off at the edge of the plaza by a balloon stand with a water bottle in hand. He was glad to take a breather, and from this distance, he wouldn't be able to see Ricky so blatantly flirt with Manon. The Pokémon performers showcase had just ended with the Kalos Queen's grand finale. At the moment, Diana was signing autographs for her fans.

 _I guess I should go find them now_ , Alan thought.

"There you are, Alan!" a voice called out.

He turned his head and spotted Manon jogging up to him. He glanced around, but the blonde boy wasn't anywhere in sight. "Where's Ricky?"

"He went to grab some refreshments. You know, Alan, you've been grumpy all day. If you really didn't want to join us, you could have just gone back to the lab to work," Manon said, looking down and scuffing her shoe against the ground.

Alan sighed. "Look, maybe I didn't want to go at first, but I did enjoy myself once I was here. I was acting... grumpy because…because…"

"Oh, just spit it out already!" Manon cried impatiently.

He let an exasperated breath. "What's your relationship with Ricky, anyways?" he asked suddenly.

Manon had a look of disbelief on her face. "You're changing the subject, really Alan? I'm tired of you talking around this. I don't have to explain anything to you, but Ricky is just a friend, okay?"

"Does he know that?" Alan asked.

"What? Of course, he does!"

"Are you sure? Because all his flirting doesn't make it seem like he knows you're just friends," Alan said.

Manon's face turned red and she whispered, "He's been flirting with me? I thought that he was just being nice…"

Alan rolled his eyes. "There's being oblivious. And then there's just plain dense, Manon."

"Rude, Alan! And even if I am oblivious to his flirting, why does it matter to you? This shouldn't affect you at all, then!" Manon said.

"You're going to make me say it out loud, aren't you?" Alan grumbled. He passed a hand through his hair and sighed. Plucking up his courage, he reached over and grabbed one of Manon's hands. "I'm jealous that he can openly flirt with you. That's he got your attention, and you give him that smile that just lights up your face. Look at me like that, won't you?

"Ugh, this is so embarrassing," Alan said, covering his face with his other hand.

Manon, on the other hand, was speechless and trying to wrap her head around what Alan had just confessed. "You're jealous…of Ricky…for flirting…with me…" Manon pointed a finger back and forth between them to emphasis each point. "Do you have feelings for me, Alan?" He didn't respond, so she reached up to take his hand away from his face. She looked up at him with her wide, brown eyes questioningly.

With a sigh of defeat, he smiled and answered, "Yes, and they've only grown since we've met again. You know I'm not the greatest at telling others how I feel."

"Yeah, you kind of keep them in and let them stew," Manon said.

Alan raised an eyebrow, but agreed. "And there's never been anyone else I've had feelings for. Not like this. So, indulge me, Manon."

Manon shyly looked away, but kept a hold on both his hands, entwining her fingers with his. "It's always been you, Alan. I've never stopped thinking about you; I can't forget you, no matter how much time passes."

Alan cupped her cheek and leaned closer, his eyes full of emotion-relief, happiness, and most of all, affection. Manon could feel the tension between them, and she was almost nervous that Alan would make a move. Would he kiss her? Ask her to be his girlfriend?

The yell from a young child startled the pair from their reverie-their bubble had been broken. They were still in public! Manon blushed; she couldn't believe that such a private moment was happening where anyone could see! Alan mentally chastised himself for his own public display of affection, but he didn't mind being caught up in their own little world. He had spoken his feelings, and Manon had reciprocated. He had no regrets.

"Oh, there you two are!" Ricky called out. The two whirled around to see Ricky approaching with two water bottles. "You guys ready to grab some lunch? I heard from someone that theirs a discount at Café Soleil."

"Sure, that sounds like a great place to eat," Manon said. She chanced a glance at Alan and was pleased to see his pink face, though his blush was fading by the second.

"Hope it's not too crowded, especially if a lot of people know about the discount," Alan cooly said. He started walking, leading the way to the café. Looking over his shoulder, he asked, "You coming?"

"Yeah!" Manon said, skipping to his side. She looped her arm through his, but Alan shook it off, hunching his shoulders and briskly walking away. Manon just laughed it off and continued to follow him.

Ricky tilted his head in confusion. He wasn't gone that long, so what could have happened to both their demeanors? Manon seemed happier and the moody Alan, too. He actually pulled a semblance of a smile-directly at Manon, of course. Eh, what did he know? They might have had a lot of history between them, but he won't be jealous of Alan. _I think I have a fair shot, but whatever happens happens_ , Ricky thought.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for being so late with this prompt. I just kept thinking that I need to add to this, so I never had an ending that I was satisfied with. I'm going to be gone for this weekend, so I bit the bullet and finished this up. Thank you guys for all of the support!


End file.
